Articles: function.
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Slow waves (less than 1 Hz) are the most important electroencephalogram signatures of nonrapid eye movement sleep. While considered to have a substantial importance in, for example, providing conditions for single-cell rest and preventing long-term neural damage, a disturbance in this neurophysiologic phenomenon is a potential indicator of brain dysfunction. ⋯ In this experimental pilot study, the comatose postcardiac arrest patients with poor neurologic outcome were unable to generate normal propofol-induced electroencephalographic slow-wave activity 48 h after cardiac arrest. The finding might offer potential for developing a pharmacologic test for prognostication of brain injury by measuring the electroencephalographic response to propofol.
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Asthma and COPD are common airway diseases. Individuals with overlapping asthma and COPD experience increased health impairment and severe disease exacerbations. Efficacious treatment options are required for this population. Omalizumab (anti-IgE) therapy is effective in patients with severe persistent asthma, but limited data are available on efficacy in populations with overlapping asthma and COPD. ⋯ Our study suggests that omalizumab improves asthma control and health-related quality of life in individuals with severe allergic asthma and overlapping COPD. These findings provide real-world efficacy data for this patient population and suggest that omalizumab is useful in the management of severe asthma with COPD overlap.
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Platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin, are still frequently used for treating various types of cancer. Besides its high effectiveness, cisplatin has several serious side effects. One of the most common side effects is dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurotoxicity. ⋯ EM and histology showed no evidence of any structural damage, apoptosis or necrosis in DRG cells after cisplatin exposure for 26 days. Furthermore, no nuclear DNA damage in sensory neurons was observed. Here, we provide evidence for a mainly functionally driven induction of neuropathic pain by cisplatin.
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/6838596.].
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 2017
Does a positioning rod or a patient-specific guide result in more natural femoral flexion in the concept of kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty?
Flexion of the femoral component in 5° increments downsizes the femoral component, decreases the proximal reach and surface area of the trochlea, delays the engagement of the patella during flexion, and is associated with a higher risk of patellar-femoral instability after kinematically aligned TKA. The present study evaluated flexion of the femoral component after use of two kinematic alignment instrumentation systems. We determined whether a distal cutting block attached to a positioning rod inserted perpendicular to the distal femoral joint line in the axial plane and 8-10 cm into the distal femur anterior and posterior to the distal cortex of the femur in the sagittal plane or a femoral patient-specific cutting guide sets the femoral component in more natural flexion. ⋯ Because a distal cutting block attached to a positioning rod sets the femoral component in 5° less flexion and with less variability than a femoral patient-specific cutting guide, we prefer this instrumentation system when performing kinematically aligned TKA to reduce the risk of patellar-femoral instability. Each surgeon should determine the repeatability of setting the flexion of the femoral component with this instrumentation system.